Saturday, 1 January 2011

In the late 1970'/early 1980's, Stephen King wrote a few novels under the pseudonym Richard Bachman, according to him mainly as an experiement to see if his books are liked only because they are from 'the Stephen King' or whether even if published under a completely unknown name, still would have commercial success. Well, his cover was blown and Bachman 'outed' as King. Nonethe less, the 4 Bachman stories in this compilation are a must for every King fan.

RAGE - a high school teenager becomes a gang-of-one in a terrifying display of rebellion.

THE LONG WALK - A chilling look at the ultra-conservative America of the future, where a gruelling 450 mile marathon is the ultimate sports competition - my favourite of this story compilation.

ROADWORK - An immovable man refuses to surrender to the irresisteble forces of progress.

THE RUNNING MAN - a macabre tale of the future's favourite TV gam show, where contestants risk death at the hands of hunters to win a billion dollar jackpot. This was made into a movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, but as so often, the book differs slighlty in the story, and well worth reading even if you know the movie.